— A/N —
For a brief moment on September 6, this story was unavailable and hidden from public view, even being removed from 'my stories' list in my profile. I was fearful that it had been removed without my input. Luckily, it came back on the same day. I don't know why this happened; I have given the story an M rating and made it clear in the first few sentences of the first chapter that this story has descriptions of violence.
In other news, I just realized that I had forgotten to respond to the reviews from the first chapter when I posted the second chapter…
- Reviews -
Yeet: Thank you!
Guest on Aug 22: Lol. I haven't seen that movie, but I've heard about it and seen some clips.
Guest 2 on Aug 22: It might count as spoilers, but yes, Teddy will realize that the characters in 'the game' are actually real. It was one of the few things I had written down when planning out the story.
selfishgecko: To respond to your second review, thanks for letting me know. And yeah, the OC will not be speaking for most of the time throughout the story.
Peigukiin: Thank you! There will be no pairings in this story, and Teddy won't be getting isekai'd, lol.
Molag Vile: That outsider's perspective was my favorite part to write during the last chapter. And thank you for your feedback.
Kriegy50: Thank you, uwu.
BlackRengoku: I have a lot of work due to school as well as other personal projects. The last chapter was published last month, and considering each chapter is about 5k-7k words on average, it's going to be a while before a new one gets published.
"SAVESCUM"
Chapter Three
This fight consisted of three battles.
Despite the White Fang being more vicious, they were no different compared to the gang members he fought in terms of gimmick. They were foot soldiers whose only trick up their sleeve is having Teddy outnumbered. But he already knew how to fight a crowd.
Then there was Blake and this other faunus. Their gimmick was that they were hunters with unique weapons and semblances, and enough aura to be worth a hundred gang members. Somehow Teddy had managed to keep them at bay, and his only saving grace was that they didn't chase after him when he went to fight Roman.
A one-on-one is better than a one-on-two, but that didn't mean it was any easier. The master-thief's gimmick was that he was a trickster, fighting fast and loose. Not to mention, his cane shoots explosive rounds—one slip-up, and half of his character's body would be missing. Give him an inch and he'll run a mile, dragging Teddy's body with him. Hence why he never gave him any space to breathe when they fought.
It was everything Teddy could've asked for; to accomplish the near-impossible and succeed. He savored the moment as he stood over the Roman Torchwick—an infamous character he'd heard of many times throughout his time playing. That's when he heard a voice of a young girl off to the side.
"I am combat ready!" From there, all hell broke loose.
Teddy turned around to see a girl with pale skin, bright green eyes, and orange hair that curled inwards just above her shoulders, as well as a cowlick at the top of her head. She wore a grey dress over a white blouse that had frilled cuffs. He could also see that she had a pink bow, and black thigh-highs. It was practically a child, and she just wiped out a group of twenty White Fang members in mere seconds, their aura depleted and left unconscious.
There was a level of childish grace to her movements; she made dramatic movements with her arms that conducted the floating swords behind her. Three bullheads arrived and opened fire at her with so many bullets, he expected her to run along them to take down the pilots. But that's not what happened. She flew back a great distance away and fired a massive laser from her swords that split two of the bullheads in half. Roman, who looked positively annoyed at the girl, finally got a hold of himself and ran away. Teddy didn't make a move to stop him.
Because she was standing right before him, giving him a stern look.
Shit. The last time I saved was before I fought Roman.
[Quicksave Complete…]
"You're the one who killed these people." The many swords that hovered just behind her pointed at him like a dog baring its teeth. "Stand down and turn yourself in to the proper authorities!"
Teddy stood still, his cuffs on his light-grey peacoat stained red, and rifle and saber in hand. After witnessing what she could do, he did what any reasonable person would—he threw down his weapons, and ran away. The sounds of jets came from behind too fast, and a jolt of pain shot through his back as he fell onto the ground. His head was turned to the side, pressed against the rough concrete, as his eyes bore into the girl holding him down. Despite her small frame, she had a grip like a vice over his character's arm. No amount of struggling would free him of her grasp.
Did the devs update my game to screw me over? Why is there an end-game enemy here?!
[Loading Quicksave…]
Teddy ran away immediately, cutting her dialogue off. The sounds of jets came ever closer until Teddy dove towards the ground. Had he been a hair off, she definitely would've gotten him. He was about to move when he was snapped backwards. One of her swords had his peacoat pinned to the ground. I knew it, he thought. This is a bad save. One thing he learned was to never make a save when he's stuck in a corner, unless he wants to soft-lock himself in eternal defeat. There was, of course, the permanent save he made before the entire fight began, but that meant that everything up to this point would be undone. I've come this far. No going back now.
"You are not combat-ready." She sounded like any other girl, but her tone felt static, monotonous. "I see that you do not have an aura–"
[Loading Quicksave…]
Four battles in one night; had it been against anyone else, Teddy would've been happy with that. But he was up against a literal boss with nothing but scraps to defend himself with. His rifle had a fourth of its ammo remaining, and it didn't take a genius to know that his one saber against her ten swords was just bad odds.
But do something for long enough, and one starts to pick up a thing or two.
Her fighting style was calculated. She first tries to limit either his mobility or force him to move to a specific area. Then she closes the gap while sending out so many attacks that Teddy couldn't pay attention to every single sword. Finally, she grabs hold of him. Somehow she knows that he doesn't have an aura, which means that she's been holding back from doing any 'permanent' damage; she's limiting herself to a specific set of moves she could do.
Teddy knew each of her moves intimately, but retry after retry, the odds were still against him.
[Loading Quicksave…]
This time, Teddy attacked first. The two-handed rifle kicked wildly in his off-hand. Most of the shots missed, and the ones that would've hit her were blocked by a wheel of spinning blades. It was her turn now. She launched two blades towards his position. Just like he practiced with Roman, he danced around them and prepared to fire back, only to have his shot go high as a sword stabbed his rifle.
At a certain angle, something shimmering ran from the handle of the blade to the girl. String. Is that how she's doing this?
He didn't waste time severing the string with his saber; the sword fell and clattered on the ground. Unmoving, lifeless. Teddy was sent flying backwards as the ginger girl tackled him—not that it ruined his mood. I know your weakness, weird girl. It's only a matter of time before I beat you.
She regarded Teddy's smirk. "I've accounted for all possibilities of what you could do. Please, stay down. Do not resist."
[Loading Quicksave…]
"You're–"
Teddy fired his gun and she was forced to block all of his shots. As soon as she heard the gun click, swords flew at him fast. Teddy quickly ducked and severed the string of two swords. Each of her swords spread out in front of him, but he only counted six. Teddy knew already the move she was trying to do—another pair were about to trip him from below.
Without even looking, he made a small hop backwards while swinging his saber down towards the string. Another two down. Her shocked expression came as fast as it went. She must've caught on that Teddy knew, because swords weren't as offensive as they used to be; an occasional attack would be made, but it didn't overreach unless she wanted to lose more of her only weapon. Both of them were on the defensive, neither making any outstanding attack.
This fight lasted fifteen seconds, yet it lasted well over an hour in the real world. So many retries even after finding something that he could exploit. It paid off. A hailstorm of bullets rained upon her from a bullhead hovering above. The six remaining swords formed a wheel that spun to block the bullets, but it wasn't enough. Some managed to hit her and do a small amount of damage to her aura—much more than he could ever possibly do. She was forced to retreat while Teddy chose to run at that moment.
He gave one last glance to the bullhead's cockpit; besides two White Fang grunts piloting it, Teddy spotted a bright orange wig through the tinted window. Perhaps she proved herself to be the bigger threat of the two, or maybe Roman was just jealous of another redhead. Either way, Teddy never looked back as he exited the docks.
[Quicksave Complete…]
Relief. Excitement. Satisfaction. Nothing could describe the intense feelings that filled his chest. He promptly ditched the two weapons that he commandeered. A whole platoon of police cars raced by as Teddy slipped into the shadows of alleyways.
· · ·
"He had brown hair and brown eyes, and his skin was white," Ruby told the detective. He and his partner had pulled her to the side in order for her to give them her statement.
Flashing blue and red lights came from the numerous police cars that surrounded the perimeter. Officers were escorting remaining White Fang members to any cruisers they have, while those with injuries were taken to an ambulance. Those who weren't as fortunate were being photographed by investigators.
"Could you confirm to us just what he wore?"
"A grey jacket with a white shirt underneath–"
"What kind of shirt?"
"A button-up," she amended. "His pants was also brown—it was the same color as his hair—and black shoes."
The detective wrote everything down in a small flipbook with a pen. He looked at his partner and nodded before he turned back to her. "Alright, anything else you would like to add?"
"And… and he had this creepy grin…" How could she forget it? That wide smile that showed both rows of his white teeth. The more she thought about it, it was the kind someone would give when they were having fun. It was sickening.
The detective paid no attention to her shudder and wrote that down too. "Thank you, miss. You're free to go back with the others."
Ruby got up from her slouch and made her way to the others. Blake, Penny, and Sun sat on top of some wooden boxes as they waited for Beacon to pick them up. It was there that she was alone in her thoughts. Bodies littered across the docks, blood pooling by each one; a serial killer fighting her friend, Penny; him running away. Those series of events played out in her mind over and over, wondering if there was a moment that she should have done something to stop him.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted as she pulled her sister into a hug. "What happened here? Are you okay?"
Ruby felt her sister's arms tighten around her, and she returned it too. "I'm fine, Yang. M'fine." They stayed like that for a moment. Never had she felt so happy to feel comforted. Yang made sure that Ruby's head couldn't look around to see the mess at the docks; a thoughtful gesture, but it was far too late for that.
"Blake." The word shot out through the silence when Weiss turned towards the girl in question. Ruby tried to say something, but stopped when Blake held up her hand to her.
"Listen, Weiss. I'm not associated with the White Fang anymore–"
"Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you? Twelve. Hours. That's not including the day prior. That's how long we've been searching for you, only to hear an explosion, and multiple police cars heading towards the docks!"
"That's… why you're mad at me? What about my connection to the White Fang?"
"You said it yourself—you're not associated with them anymore." Weiss huffed. "I don't care about what you used to be. The next time you get involved in something big, talk to your teammates. And not…" Her eyes drift towards Sun. "... not someone else."
Keen to enjoy the tender moment, no one else said anything. Ruby couldn't contain her smile. At least one thing went right tonight.
"So… is Team RWBY back together again?"
"Yes, it is." Weiss cleared her throat. "Now that the matter is settled—this serial killer, you saw them, didn't you?"
"I did." Her expression hardened. "It was… strange. The White Fang soldiers, he fought them all and killed them without remorse, in fact he was smiling the whole time. And thinking back to when Sun and I fought him, it's like he knew how we fought."
Weiss' eyebrow quirked at that piece of information. "What do you mean?"
"My semblance creates a clone that takes the hit of an attack and allows me to counter, yet he anticipated that and had a counter waiting for me."
"And I couldn't even lay a shot on him too!" Sun had said from behind. "I even used my gunchucks on him. Didn't even flinch. He looks like our age, but he fights on a whole 'nother level."
"He's also the person we met at the park earlier too." Blake and Sun turned to Ruby curiously, Weiss on the other hand was startled.
Yang's fingers dug into her shoulders. "What?! I knew something was off about that guy." Her eyebrows furrowed, then relaxed as she looked at Ruby. "You shouldn't have gotten involved. What if something happened to you?"
"I didn't do anything!" Ruby quickly said—that was what hurt the most. She may be in-training, but she was supposed to be a huntress, she should've done something, but she didn't. Her hesitation was the reason why that criminal got away. "Penny was the one who fought him."
She turned to where the girl in question was, only to find her gone.
· · ·
At the top of Beacon tower, where the headmaster's office is, stood Ozpin in front of a large window. A mug of aromatic coffee that he occasionally took sips from was held in his left hand, and a tablet in his right hand, one that's connected to the security camera overlooking the docks.
His students were okay for the most part, shaken up maybe, but unharmed nonetheless, and Roman and the White Fang failed in stealing dust. Considering what could have gone wrong, it was a victory. But his mind was on the young man who showed up. Even through the graininess of the camera feed, he fought multiple opponents without taking a single scratch—something that caught his eye quickly.
A potential ally? No, quite unlikely. If anything, he's the one turning the criminal underworld inside out with the murders happening around Vale. Regardless of his skill, he's too much of a risk, and Ozpin's own allies would outright refuse to have him work for their cause. But perhaps there's still a use for him.
The tablet vibrated in his hand. A message from Qrow stated, "QUEEN HAS PAWNS."
The edges of Ozpin's lips curled slightly as he placed his mug onto a coaster. "So, too, shall I."
· · ·
A day passed by—both in-game and in real life.
The buildings loomed over him on both sides as he walked down the sidewalk. Vale was quiet this time around; no people or cars, nobody wanted to be out after the news came out. Unlike many nights, he did not stroll aimlessly for the purposes of striking at petty street thugs. There was purpose in his character's strides, and it was to look for places to have fun at. What could fighting thugs compare to the exhilaration of the battle at the docks?
When virtual reality had first become possible, it was nothing more than a fancy gimmick that didn't have much to offer. But three decades ago, the first brain-computer interfacing headset was released to the public. Since then, truly wonderful things have been made. The VR headset numbs any negative stimuli as per the user's safety of mind—lacerations, bullet wounds, even having half of his torso blown up were nonexistent. But positive stimuli? He could experience everything pleasurable in the comfort of his own home.
Teddy stood at a street corner and looked at his surroundings. Maybe I could head to a pizza place? Hmm, but that'll just make me hungry for actual pizza. Actually, why not. I'm ordering pizza for dinner. But what could I do in here? Idea after idea came, but not a single one stuck out. There's a red-light district– No, no. That is a hard no. The image of Teddy on his bed, alone in his apartment, as he creams his pants was a pathetic one. I'm not so sad and lonely that I'm going to get a girlfriend in a video game. I refuse to be like those kinds of people.
Leaving things up to chance, he continued to walk at a relaxed pace. Building after building, empty streets and a still atmosphere. Teddy stopped walking and turned around. Nothing. It was quiet, just the way it should be. So why could he have sworn he heard a footstep?
[Quicksave Complete…]
Teddy stepped into a wide alleyway that had the moonlight shining in. A pile of garbage bags made his nose wrinkle on reflex. He stood there with his arms crossed for only a second until he heard the sounds of heels come to a stop behind him.
A short, young girl holding a pink umbrella—or perhaps it was a parasol—looked him over. On one side of her hair was dyed pink, the other her natural brown; the same went with her eye color. Her long-sleeved white jacket was cropped at the front and had its tail extend down past her waist. A brown corset underneath both the brown pants and her jacket, which exposed the bones of her hips. She also wore black and white high-heel boots. If her color scheme wasn't obvious enough, she's dangerous.
They both regarded each other for a while, neither one saying anything. He waited for her to say something. And waited. And waited. The longer the silence stretched on, the more tense he felt. Instead, she waved her hand at him, to which he hesitantly returned the gesture. Is she waiting for me to say something? He did his usual signal that he couldn't speak—tapping his throat and shaking his head.
To her credit, she realized quicker than most what he meant. The parasol collapsed and was placed between her arms. Both of her hands moved rapidly; to his unprepared eyes, they were a blur of hand signal after hand signal. In the end, she paused and tilted her head to the side with a questioning look. Teddy had absolutely no idea what she meant. If it was sign language, either this game's own or one from real life, then he'd have no luck understanding her.
This might be my most difficult fight by far…
— A/N —
It sounds like the start of a joke: "Two muted people get into a discussion."
From the Teddy vs Penny fight to Ozpin's scene (excluding the scene with Team RWBY) was intended to be in the previous chapter, but I cut it because it would've dragged on that chapter. I'm generally doing about 3k words per chapter, so stopping it at Roman's defeat was a good place for that to end.
Let me know if there are any errors, be it grammatical or writing-wise, or if there is anything I could improve.